Funding Opportunities for Industry

A selection of funding opportunities for people working in industry

Call status: Open

Application deadline: 11 May 2017

Aimed at early career researchers who want to conduct their own independent research within a host laboratory. Applicants will have demonstrated high potential and have no more than five years of active postdoctoral research experience.

The call is open to current PhD students who are expected to have completed their PhD viva exam prior to announcement of the awarded FLFs on the 30th of November 2017. The FLF will support the transition of early stage researchers to fully independent research leaders. Awards are for three years and it is expected that up to 12 fellowships will be awarded, each of a value of up to £300,000.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: 11 May 2017

Aimed at researchers who want to establish their first independent research group undertaking a programme of excellent research. Applicants will be able to demonstrate great potential and have a scientific career showing a clear upward trajectory.

Awards are for five years, and include personal salary and a significant research support grant to enable fellows to establish their own independent research group. It is expected that up to five fellowships will be awarded, each at a value of up to £1m. In addition to this investment, it is also expected that a substantial demonstration of support for the fellow be made by the host research organisation.

Application deadline: apply at any time (at least 6 months before travel)

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

BBSRC are supporting the delivery of events to facilitate discussion and improve awareness of knowledge exchange and commercialisation (KEC) of BBSRC-funded research. These events provide an opportunity for research organisations to showcase best practice in KEC and how this leads to economic and societal impact.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) accelerate business innovation by supporting knowledge exchange with academic institutions. KTP operates through an open call which includes the entirety of BBSRC's remit. As part of a UK-wide programme, these partnerships serve as a mechanism to transfer knowledge and to develop graduate and postgraduate personnel for industrial careers.

BBSRC seeks to promote KTP in industrial sectors that are able to benefit from the UK's excellent bioscience research base and encourages the appointment of KTP Associates at post-doctoral level.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

The Rainbow Seed Fund is an evergreen venture capital fund for some of the leading UK publicly funded research organisations. It is independently managed by Midven and provides capital to commercialise the partners’ research.

The annual research budget is in excess of £1bn with over 25 research institutes across the country, in addition to links with the European centres of CERN and ESA. The Fund makes individual investments of between £10,000 and £500,000 and helps to leverage additional human and financial capital over the lifetime of our investment.

Call status: Open

Application deadlines: 1 November 2017

The STFC, along with the RSE (Royal Society of Edinburgh), offer support for STFC funded scientists who want to develop a business idea based on STFC funded research. The fellowship gives one year's salary and business training, to the Enterprise Fellow - the aim being to give someone the time and skills to set up a viable business as a result of the STFC science programme.

Enterprise Fellowships are designed to encourage exploitation of the STFC research programme. Applications may be submitted on any subject provided that the original research or technological developments have their origin as part of a programme largely funded by STFC, or in the case of nuclear physics programme previously funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

STFC is launching a pilot call for an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), which has been developed to provide flexible funding directly to the research organisation’s Knowledge Exchange (KE) / Technology Transfer Office (or equivalent) to support STFC-funded academics to take their ideas towards commercialisation, through activities not currently supported by an STFC funding programme. The programme will provide funds of £50,000 to organisations following assessment of applications.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

You can apply for funding to test the feasibility of your idea, research and develop it and demonstrate it in a prototype. Innovate UK funding competitions cover the following industry sectors:emerging and enabling technologies; infrastructure systems; health and life sciences; manufacturing and materials. There is also an open programme that is not sector based.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) is a well established process to connect public sector challenges with innovative ideas from industry, supporting companies to generate economic growth and enabling improvement in achieving government objectives.

SBRI provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector, leading to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness. It generates new business opportunities for companies, provides small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a route to market for their ideas and bridges the seed funding gap experienced by many early stage companies. It supports economic growth and enables the development of innovative products and services through the public procurement of research and development.

Application deadline: apply at any time

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

The Development Bank of Wales helps businesses get the capital they need to start up, strengthen and grow. There’s funding available for businesses at every growth stage. If you’re eligible and ready for investment, you have lots of options. Finance ranges from £1,000 up to £5 million with both loans and equity available. And you can repay the money over periods of up to 10 years, giving you the time and space you need to reach your potential.

Call status: Open

Application deadline: apply at any time

Funded by the Scottish Government, the Resource Efficient Scotland SME Loans scheme aims to support businesses that are looking to reduce costs through improved energy, material resource and water efficiency by providing an unsecured, interest free loan from £1,000 to £100,000.